Archive for the ‘hatchback’ Category

After almost six years on the market, the current-generation Mazda3 will retire to make way for a redesigned model. The Japanese firm confirmed the new Mazda3 will make its global debut at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show and released a new teaser of the car.

Actually, Mazda previewed two vehicles, as the photo includes images of both the sedan and hatchback versions. Not much can be seen in the photo, but it gives us a glimpse of the sedan’s roof and the hatchback’s rear end.

The Peugeot 205 T16 is the 347-horsepower all-wheel-drive beast from France that had both Lancia and Audi down on their knees in the second half of the Group B era. It was driven by the likes of Ari Vatanen, Bruno Saby, Timo Salonen, and Juha Kankkunen.

The 205 T16, with ‘T16’ standing for ‘Turbocharged 16’ since the car was fitted with a KKK turbocharger and a 16-valve cylinder head, is arguably a strange case in motorsport. As one of the most successful rally cars of the astonishing Group B era, it is criminally overlooked. People idolize the Audi Quattro for its innovative four-wheel-drive system or the Lancia 037 which was the last rear-wheel-drive car to win the WRC constructor’s title, but the 205 remains the unsung hero.

It only debuted in 1984, in the third season since the Group B rules came into effect. This first model was known as the Evolution 1 and lacked the flamboyant, but efficient, aerodynamic elements of the Evolution 2. Unlike your usual 205 GTI, for instance, the rally car had the engine in the middle, and it featured a changeable epicyclic gear train that was used to alter the amount of power sent to either axle.

Once surpassing the inherent issues that arise after debuting a brand-new car, the Peugeot Talbot Sport outfit, led by none other than the future general manager of the Ferrari F1 team, Jean Todt, crushed everyone in its path winning 13 rallies between 1985 and 1986.

Ken Block made headlines earlier this year when he unveiled a stunning Ford Escort Cosworth RS fully prepped for rallying. The American promptly rolled the Escort RS during the New England Forest Rally and, following the crash, the Ford burnt to a crisp. Now, Hoonigan Racing announced that a new Escort will carry Block and Gelsomino in 2019.

We all know that besides making those crazy Gymkhana videos, Ken Block is an out-and-out fan of proper rallying. That’s why the American never misses out on a chance to try his hand around some special stages, be it tarmac or gravel, or even snow. He’s participated in a number of WRC events over the years in top-of-the-line Ford and Subaru machinery, as well as competing in the Rally America championship.

Brock’s latest project was turning a classic Ford Escort Cosworth RS into a full-blown rally car as a tribute to the Group A-spec rally cars of the mid-to-late-’90s. His original Cossie was crashed during the New England Forest Rally, and it erupted in flames almost immediately. The car was destroyed, but Block and Gelsomino weren’t hurt. Now, they’re aiming to bounce back stronger than ever!

As far as modded cars at SEMA go, the Volkswagen Golf RLMS tuned up by APR seems to be one of the most amazing to appear in Las Vegas. The American tuner of everything Audi and Volkswagen took a year and a half to work on the Golf RLMS which evolved from the hot hatch into something you wouldn’t be afraid to put up against the Nissan GT-R R35. I am not joking. Based on the Golf R, this track-worthy Golf RLMS by APR takes a unique approach to hatchback tuning. An approach I am inclined to call – “let’s make the best freaking hot-hatch.”

They’ve done it – and with so well calculated modifications that turned the Golf R into something a true Volkswagen enthusiast may call the Golf R536. Obviously, this is like my throwback to the Golf R400 super-hatch that had been crafted in the concept guise, but did not reach the production. Dieselgate was to be blamed.

Nevertheless, the R400 may be the first thing to pop into my mind upon seeing this, but this modded Golf RLMS by APR is much more than that.

After months of speculation, Hyundai has confirmed what we’ve been thinking about all this time: a standalone flagship sports car from the N performance division is coming. It’s still unclear what kind of car we can expect, but a high-ranking Hyundai executive confirmed that the Korean automaker is already working on a halo model for the N division, adding that it’s going to be a car that “nobody expects from Hyundai.” Interesting things are afoot over at Hyundai’s new performance brand. A halo car is coming; we just don’t know what it’s going to look like or how it’s going to be packaged. Then again, the RM16 concept is probably a good basis for what we might expect.

Every Tom, Dick, and Harry was coming up with a name for the new Skoda hatchback that was going to replace the Skoda Rapid. After all the random guesses, Skoda revealed the name, and it’s “Scala.” The automaker chose to go with this word which means ‘stairs’, or ‘ladder’ in Latin.

APR has been tuning Audi, Porsche, and Volkswagen vehicles for quite some time now and for this year’s SEMA show, the company is set to showcase a very special Volkswagen Golf. APR has named this car the RLMS, and it will be spitting fire at the SEMA.

Hot hatches are big business in Europe, but not everybody wants the stiffer ride, or the higher associated fuel bills, which is why Kia has made the Ceed GT-Line which it revealed at the Paris motor show.

BMW is reportedly going to kill off the 3-Series Gran Turismo, the more practical, slightly taller, longer, and roomier hatchback version of BMW’s bread and butter sedan. Apparently, there is no longer a justification to make a new one as its slot in the range will be filled by new SUV models.

The Toyota Yaris GR Sport is the more down-to-Earth version of the limited-run GRMN. It features some sporty styling, but much of the oomph of the GRMN is gone, akin to a sheep in wolf’s clothes.

Last year, at the Geneva Motor Show, Toyota unveiled the Yaris GRMN hot hatchback to the world. A run of only 600 units was slated for 2018 for the car that was inspired by the Yaris WRC but, confusingly, presented itself with GRMN logos all round. GRMN stands for Gazoo Racing Masters of the Nurburgring – so not really related to rallying. In any case, the 209-horsepower pocket rocket was fun to drive and powerful enough to excite.

Now, a year later, Toyota brought to the Paris Motor Show a GRMN for the masses: the Yaris GR Sport. It’s based off the hybrid Yaris, so the figures are, frankly, negligible, but you do get great economy. What is more, the car comes in the usual Gazoo Racing white with red and black inserts and black wheels. It isn’t a hot hatch, but it’s sort of a stepping stone, a ”warm hatch.”

After all the mumbo jumbo surrounding the i3’s existence, the automaker has finally confirmed that the little electric hatchback will continue to live on. When the i4 was announced at the Paris Motor Show, it looked like a legit replacement for the i3; also because BMW did not address the i3. Now, however, BMW has confirmed that it has got future plans for the i3, according to The Drive.

Okay, what the hell just happened here? A Mazda2 Supermini came speeding into a parking lot, smashed through a gate, landed on the roof of an office, and rolled backwards before falling to the ground. What is up with people these days?

Mercedes is working on an all-new A45 AMG model to sit at the top of its A-Class lineup, and even though it’s set to debut sometime next year, we’re already learning new details about it – exciting details regarding how it will be very different from (and just plain better than) the outgoing A45 AMG.

The new Toyota Yaris GR Sport was unveiled at the Paris Motor Show and it showed its finely built body, GRMN-tuned suspension and courageous face that looks for trouble. Limited edition Toyota Yaris GRMN was met with great enthusiasm from the car community, but that was just a highly limited car. The Yaris GR Sport isn’t. It also isn’t as special as the Yaris GRMN.

Mercedes-Benz finally showed the AMG A35 in the metal at the Paris Motor Show. Even though the car made an online debut a couple of weeks back, this is the first time we’ve seen it in its physical form. People have been waiting on the ropes for this car to arrive after the A-Class hatchback was launched a few months ago and it was well worth the wait.

Unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, the Skoda Vision RS shows the path the Czech manufacturer is likely to take for the next generation of its cars. This is a hatchback, sized like a Volkswagen Golf, but sharpened up to the level of a hot-hatch. The Vision RS, a concept car, rolled under the Paris Motor Show lights with a 1.5-liter turbocharged gas engine producing 148 horsepower but assisted with an additional electric motor good for 100 horsepower. As a hybrid, the Vision RS demonstrates Volkswagen’s uncanny ability to craft modern compact cars and transform them into hot hatchbacks – a type of a car the company is definitely versed in (just remember the Golf GTI, the Leon Cupra, the Audi S3, and the Octavia, among others).

The new Mercedes-Benz B-Class is here. If nobody remembers the previous generation, that’s okay, because Mercedes has made their new compact minivan crossover taller, longer, and more in-line with the current Merc styling trends.

The new B-Class just dropped at the Paris Motor Show while everyone’s looking at the new EQC and the brash-looking A35 AMG. But the B-Class doesn’t deserve to be overlooked – within its tight minivan-crossover class niche, only BMW’s 2-Series Active Tourer provides any real competition.

Some may argue that there isn’t much market left for these compact minivan crossovers, as people look towards SUVs of varying shapes and sizes as grocery-getters and family carriers. But Mercedes hopes there is. The problem with the B-Class is that it’s not particularly good looking – you can thank the headlights from the A-Class for that – but, at least, it looks better than the visual atrocity that is the 2-Series Active Tourer.

The first-gen Audi A1 was launched in 2010. Since then, the car has earned a reputation for getting better with tiny tweaks and additions added every now and then. Eight years later, the Audi A1 is back with an all-new iteration. It has improved in every aspect over the 2010 A1. The next-gen Audi A1 was revealed at the Paris Motor Show.

The color blue never goes out of style, so it’s fitting that in the Fashion Capital of the World, Mercedes-AMG unveiled the feisty A 35 in a resplendent blue shade that accentuates its sporting good looks. The hot hatch officially made its debut at the 2018 Paris Motor Show with a point to prove. While it does trace its roots to the A-Class, the AMG 35 is nothing like the model it’s based on. It looks angrier and more aggressive, and more importantly, it has a powerful 2.0 turbocharged four-cylinder engine that can embarrass the socks off anyone who underestimates its performance capabilities. The Mercedes-AMG A 35 doesn’t have a price yet, but those details will be announced sometime in 2019. Unfortunately, it’s not coming to the U.S.

The Hyundai i30N ’N Option’ is the i30 N customized to your preferences. Yes, the i30 N is already one of the best hot hatches on the market, but Hyundai reckons their customers want to make the cars their own, which is where the ’N Option’ steps in.

The Korean manufacturer thinks the 274-horsepower i30 N could take on some visual enhancements to make it look even meaner. That’s why Hyundai brought the i30 N ’N Option’ Concept to Paris. Yes, a concept, not the production-ready version. Granted, Hyundai assures us that this concept is the face of things to come in terms of ways you can personalize your own i30 N – as well as other Hyundais from the N lineup in the future.

Performance figures weren’t altered with the ’N Option’, but we don’t think that is a must. I mean, the i30 N already has a top speed of 155 mph from that buzzing 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot and 260 pound-feet of torque at just 1,500 rpm.